Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Vice President Joe Biden is heading President Obama's attack on private ownership of firearms.It doesn't shock me that he has no better idea of what our current guns laws are.Why should he?I can't keep track of all of them in all the states, but something like shooting a "warning shot" not only stupid for so many reasons, but most everywhere is illegal!Maybe "tail gunner Joe" should stop getting his information of proper use of guns for defense from other sources than old B Western movies.

This is a long article, well written which I am not going to post whole here.We get lip service from those who want to restrict our rights.Point of this article is what do our rights really mean to us who exercise them, and how do we present our passon.

Why Our Gun Debate Is Off Target

America's gun owners have every right to object to sweeping controls, but until they take responsibility for their own role in accidents and violence, they're setting themselves up for more regulation.

author w/Mauser

Believe it or not, what's missing from the current shout-fest over guns and gun control is the voice of gun owners.

Yes, the National Rifle Association has been screaming its head off since the tragedy at Sandy Hook, but the NRA doesn't speak for the country's 100 million gun owners. If it did, it wouldn't have just four million members. Some "gun guys" (as I like to call them) probably support the NRA without joining, but if only 4% are signing up, it's safe to say a large majority of them want nothing to do with the NRA's angry extremism.

As for those on the gun-control side, they often go beyond calling for policy changes, about which reasonable people can disagree, and issue broad-brush insults that aren't acceptable in other contexts. When sportscaster Bob Costas blames "gun culture" for the murder-suicide of an NFL linebacker, gun owners say, "Wait a minute. I'm gun culture. And my guns haven't hurt anybody."

A lot of assumptions are made about gun owners, by the NRA and gun-control proponents alike. What nobody ever seems to do, though, is listen to them.

I recently drove 15,000 miles around the country doing just that, talking to gun guys in their homes and garages, at gun shows and ranges, at gun stores and in the woods, trying to figure out why they are so deeply attracted to firearms and why guns inspire such passion on all sides. In part, it was a voyage of self-discovery. I'm a weirdo hybrid: a lifelong gun guy who is also a lifelong liberal Democrat. I often feel like the child of a bitter divorce who has allegiance to both parents.

With all the panic between the states to pass more anti gun bills, a silly Missouri state proposal does make a point.

Mo. House Bill Makes Proposing Gun Control Illegal

Rep. Mike Leara said Tuesday that he considers his bill a statement of principle. It would make lawmakers guilty of a felony punishable by up to four years in prison if they introduce legislation restricting gun rights.

“I have no illusions about the bill making it through the legislative process, but I want it to be clear that the Missouri House will stand in defense of the people’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” Leara, a Republican from suburban St. Louis, said in a written statement. He declined further comment.

Since last year’s deadly mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut, state and federal lawmakers have grappled with gun legislation. President Barack Obama has proposed an assault weapons ban, background checks and restrictions on high-capacity ammunition magazines. But Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature has taken a different approach — more guns, not less.

State Rep. Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis, called Leara’s measure “unconstitutional” and said she would go directly to prison if the bill passes. Newman is the sponsor of a measure that would require guns to be sold by a licensed dealer and force that dealer to conduct a background check.

Even one of Leara’s fellow Republicans said he probably wouldn’t support the bill.